Go Fish for 6/10/12 by Capt. Bill Miller

   The unsettled weather of the past week made fishing hard for me. I had scheduled a family week at Anna Maria Island with lots of tarpon fishing on the full moon. The weather had other ideas.

   We were able to get out a few times and Keith Enright, fishing with our family, caught his first two tarpon off Anna Maria using dead shad on the bottom.

  Sight fishing for schools of tarpon along the beach was out of the question due to the rough water and over cast. The strategy we used was to anchor along tarpon highways and let the tarpon come to us.

   It worked fairly well under the conditions. Debbie Miller released a 120 pound tarpon and lost a 150 pounder right at the boat. Even I got in the act catching and releasing a 130 pound silver king. A few others were jumped and lost during the limited time it was fishable.

   Tarpon had been gathered up at Egmont Key, the Skyway and Bean Point prior to the stormy weather. Where they will be when it clams down is anybody’s guess. I would go back to where they where and start there.

   Offshore fishing for red snapper was iffy at best. A few of the anglers able to get out reported good snapper in 120 feet. Red grouper were also part of the catch.

   Inshore in protected waters a few snook and redfish were caught. Speckled trout continues to be the top dog in the shallows.